BY RAPHEAL LUBANGAKENE
During the 38th series of the Uganda Nurses and Midwives Examinations Board (UNMEB) results held in Kampala last week, the Minister of Education and Sports, Janet Museveni, revealed the ministry’s intention of tightening licensing conditions for health training institutions in operation and those seeking to start up.
In a speech read by the state minister for higher education, Dr. John Muyingo, Museveni said the directive aims to uphold the standards of nursing and midwifery education.
Mrs. Museveni noted that based on the UNMEB statistics, there is an ever-increasing demand and access to nursing and midwifery education, but bemoaned institutions that admit more students than they can accommodate.
“This won’t be tolerated henceforth. This practice affects training quality and, ultimately, impacts patient care.
“The nursing and midwifery profession is unique; one mistake can cost a life. We will not allow institutions to enroll students beyond approved numbers,” explains Ms Museveni.
She also ordered the ministry’s technical team to monitor the number of student admissions in each institution and ensure licenses are only issued or renewed for those with adequate practicum facilities.
To manage student practices better, the education ministry plans to work with the health ministry.
The commissioner for Health Education and Training, Dr. Safina Kisu Musene, explained that an institution’s capacity depends on factors such as a minimum of four tutors per program, affiliations with referral hospitals, and well-equipped skills and computer laboratories.
The 2024 final examinations were conducted from December 2 to 3, 2024,
in 129 accredited centers. UNMEB previously conducted exams in June and December, but following the enactment of the Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Act in February 2025, UNMEB was dissolved.
The new Uganda Health Professionals Assessment Board (UHPAB) now oversees assessments for nursing, midwifery, and allied health students after the cessation of the Uganda Allied Health Examinations Board.
